Victor Cruz has the Giants taking a wait-and-see approach

Victor Cruz is a Giant enigma and a wild card all wrapped into one. And there won't be any clarity until he steps on the field and proves (in a real game) he can play at an NFL level.

The Giants can use Cruz at full strength, but have no idea what to expect from him this season, if anything at all. Cruz has devolved from a Pro Bowl wide receiver to a complete unknown on a roster short on proven wideouts. If he returns at anywhere near his old form, the cries for a No. 2 receiver are overblown. If he doesn't, you have to wonder what the Giants are doing this offseason having not addressed the position.

The Giants offense would be greatly improved with Cruz playing aside Odell Beckham Jr., except his return is not so simple. Cruz has missed most of the past two seasons, first with a torn patellar tendon and then a calf muscle that needed to be cemented back down. Even the Giants aren't sure what to make of him at this point.

"I think you have to wait and see where he's going to be at honestly," offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan said on Friday when the Giants assistants met with the media 10 days before the start of their offseason workout program. "He's coming off a situation with the other issue with the calf. Until we know exactly what he's physically capable of doing, we really are going to be hard pressed to say exactly, 'Hey this is the role he will fill.'

The results to this point with Cruz are promising. He's been rehabbing and making progress while working hard in New Jersey. There is optimism within the Giants building that he can return, in some capacity for this season.

"Yeah, Victor is around a decent amount," coach Ben McAdoo said last week at the NFL Annual Meeting. "What we need to do with Victor is we need to be smart. You know, I think his knee feels pretty good. He's just rehabbing the calf. When he's ready to go we'll put him out there. But it's a little early to tell right now."

Playing it smart means likely keeping Cruz off the field until training camp this summer. Why take any chances at this point?

Sullivan said he saw Cruz in the training room this week, and Cruz is upbeat and excited about his progress. Sullivan knows that Cruz would add a much-needed dimension to the Giants passing game. Cruz was among the best slot receivers prior to his injury. With Beckham attracting so much attention, he could do serious damage out of that spot in the Giants' quick-hitting attack.

"If he can be the Victor we all and love, he will be a great asset for us," Sullivan said.

But ... still ... the Giants aren't counting on anything. It's almost impossible to do anything otherwise at this point. Until they see him on the field, until they see him get through a practice (he lasted less than a handful of snaps last year), it's all wishful thinking. Right now with the start of the offseason program on the horizon, they remain in wait-and-see mode.